On the Run
by gamer072196
Summary: Alim Surana, a mage in the Kirkwall Circle of Magi, threatened with becoming Tranquil, has chosen to flee. He heads to Fereldan, told to seek out a Warden-Commander named Neria at Vigil's Keep. Little does he know the significance she will have on his life, especially when Thedas breaks into a war between Templar and mage, threatening to destroy the world as they know it...
1. The Escape

Alim Surana was waiting in his 'room' anxiously for his chance to flee the Gallows and escape the Circle in Kirkwall before he was made Tranquil. His room was more like a cell, the walls and floor made of cold, hard stone and the entrance barred from the outside.

He had seen plenty of his friends and fellow mages be made Tranquil, and it horrified him. They had no emotions at all. It was almost like they weren't even alive anymore. He had overheard two templars talking about Meredith making every mage Tranquil, mentioning that the plan originated with Ser Alrik, who had been murdered a few weeks ago. That's when they mentioned that Alim was next in line for it. It scared him to death, the thought of becoming an emotionless, unthinking being who had no chance of becoming normal ever again. He had to escape tonight or he would never escape at all.

He had few belongings beside his robes and staff; an amulet he had since childhood, a few books, several ancient tomes, and a dozen ancient Tevinter scrolls. He would only be able to take his amulet, which looked like half of it was missing, split perfectly down the middle with a design that was half complete, almost as if it was supposed to be combined with another amulet that mirrored it. He had tried as hard as he could to figure out what the design could mean, though he never found anything.

A knock at the door and he jumped to his feet, walking over to see who was there. He looked through the slit in the door and saw a man, dressed in robes that had black feathers on the shoulders. The man had blonde hair that came back behind his head into a ponytail and stubble on his chin which was the same color. He also had a staff strapped to his back, indicating that he was a mage.

"I'm here to get you out," the man whispered, checking his surroundings to make sure no one else was around.

"Thanks," Alim replied, relieved that he was finally leaving.

"Don't thank me yet. We still need to get out of here."

"How?"

"You'll see. First I need to get you out of that cell."

Alim nodded and took a few steps back as the man forced the door open motioning for him to follow quietly.

They made their way out into the main courtyard of the Gallows and Alim looked around. The Gallows was intimidating during the day, but at night it was downright spooky. There were shadows everywhere, shrouding certain areas in complete darkness. He half-expected templars to pounce them any second.

He looked back toward the man he had been following, and saw him lift up several stones in a corner that was shrouded in darkness to the point that he had to strain his eyes to make out what he was doing. He walked over and the man moved one last stone, revealing a hole that was just big enough for one person to make it through. The man motioned for him to climb down the hole, which he did. He looked up to see the man moving the stones back into place above them.

He got to the bottom and looked around. It was pitch black, nothing to see. He summoned a light from his hands and lit up the area as the man ended up next to him. He looked to the man, asking, "Who exactly are you anyway?"

"I'm Anders," he replied, moving ahead.

Alim followed suit. "Are you with the mage resistance?"

He noticed Anders wince. "The resistance was attacked a couple of weeks ago. Most of them died or were captured, but some were able to get away. They fled Kirkwall. I'm all that's left."

"Oh… I… hadn't heard that."

"Figures. Blasted templars…"

Alim thought he saw a flash of blue light appear from Anders' face and certain areas on his skin, but it vanished so quickly that he assumed that he was seeing things.

"Was there any reason why the templars were going to make you Tranquil?" Anders asked.

The question caught him by surprise, as he wasn't expecting it. He thought back to the conversation he overheard and didn't remember the templars mentioning why he was going to be made Tranquil. "I don't know. No one said anything to me about it. I wouldn't have even known about it if I didn't overhear it."

"I wish I could say that is strange, but it has been happening more and more frequently."

"I know. Most of my friends were made Tranquil…"

Anders paused for a second. "I'm… sorry. I know what that feels like."

"Yeah…"

They continued walking in silence, eventually coming out of the tunnel into Darktown.

Alim looked around. There was dirt and filth everywhere and the air was filled with a stench he couldn't even begin to describe. He saw no one in the immediate area, though he spotted a man sleeping on the ground some distance away.

Anders tapped his shoulder with some type of bag and he turned around to look at it. It was large, and looked like it had something soft inside of it. "Take this. There's some clothes and a pouch of sovereigns inside. Spend it wisely and get out of Kirkwall."

He took the bag, looking at Anders quizzically. "Where should I go?"

Anders was quiet for a moment. "Fereldan. Go to Vigil's Keep and ask to see Warden-Commander Neria. She'll help you stay away from the templars."

"'Warden-Commander'? A Grey Warden?"

"Yes. I know her. She will be glad to help you."

"How do you know her?"

Again, Anders went silent. "I can't tell you. The less you know, the better."

A twinge of annoyance hit him upon hearing that. He had been told the same thing by the templars too many times to count.

"I suggest that you get rid of your staff and robes. They'll make you a target if you keep them."

He glanced over his shoulder to his staff, which he had gotten a few months ago. He had grown attached to it, having it with him all the time. The thought of letting it go upset him, but he knew that Anders was right. It would make him a target. He nodded, reluctantly, and Anders nodded back before adding, "You have to leave before morning. There's a ship at the docks that will be able to take you to Fereldan, but you have to pay them the sovereigns I gave you."

"I don't know how to get to the docks," Alim admitted. He had never been outside the Gallows before, though that wasn't by choice.

Anders was silent once again. "I'll take you to it then. Get changed and we can go."

He nodded and Anders turned the other way as he pulled off his robes and pulled on a brown tunic and grey trousers that were located in the bag. He grabbed his robes and staff and walked over to a nearby ledge. Reluctantly, he tossed them, watching his robes float down and his staff hit several rocks before shattering. He winced, knowing that he was going to miss it a lot.

He turned around and saw Anders looking at him, a sympathetic look on his face. "Lets go," he said motioning Alim to follow. He grabbed the bag as they headed towards Lowtown, watching behind them to make sure they weren't being followed.

* * *

A couple hours later, they made it to the docks, finding a ship waiting there. The docks were filled with crates, and smelled of fish. There was no one around, which only made Alim nervous.

They approached the ship, which was fairly large. It had a single mast, its sail rolled up at the top. It was longer than the pier it was tied to, and the deck was several feet above it. They walked up the ramp and boarded the ship, Anders knocking on the cabin door.

After a pause, the door opened, revealing a grizzly looking man standing in front of them. The man, probably the captain, had short black beard and long brown hair that made it halfway down his neck as well as several scars crisscrossing his face.

Alim tensed up, he didn't know had to act around this man and he had no idea how well Anders knew him.

"Yeah?" the captain asked, glancing at Alim.

"He needs to get to Fereldan," Anders explained, jerking his thumb towards Alim. "As soon as possible."

The captain looked toward Alim, seeming to size him up. "He got any coin?"

Alim lifted up the bag in his hand and opened it up, reaching in to grab the pouch of sovereigns inside. He handed it to the captain, who snatched and untied it, emptying the contents into his palm. Alim noticed the captain smile as he looked at the coins before clasping his hand around them and shoving them into his pocket.

"We'll leave immediately." The captain walked between them, heading for a staircase that lead below the ship's main deck. Alim heard shouting as the captain woke his men before he noticed that Anders was no longer next to him. He looked around before seeing him walking back down the ramp.

"Where are you going?" Alim asked, confused.

Anders stopped and turned his head before replying, "I've got to get back into hiding. I have… unfinished business." Alim saw another flash of blue, Anders seeming to wince. _What was that?_

Anders turned around and walked away when Alim felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned his head to see the captain looking at him, a slight smile on his face. "Follow me. I'll show you to your bunk." Alim nodded, following the captain below deck.


	2. Arrival in Amaranthine

After two days, Amaranthine's port was in sight. Alim watched from the bow of the ship, leaning on the railing.

It was an odd feeling, finally being able to explore the world without Templar supervision. He wondered if this was how everyone felt, not having to worry about being made Tranquil or becoming an abomination.

The past couple of days on the ship were different, but relatively better than living in the Circle. The crew men didn't say much to him, though they weren't exactly rude. The captain had told them not to mess with him, or they would be thrown overboard. The threat seemed to have worked, though Alim wasn't sure if the captain really would do it. The way his men responded, though, it seemed like he would.

The harbor grew larger as the ship approached and Alim could make out people doing business there. He looked around and saw a man wearing leather armor, with what seemed to be a bow strapped to his back. The man was with a dwarf, who looked like he had a huge axe strapped to his back and wore heavy armor. The dwarf was drinking something, though Alim couldn't tell what it was. They seemed to be talking about something, an occasional soldier or guard approaching them.

The ship finally docked and Alim thanked the captain for the trip, heading onto dry land. For some reason, he found himself wanting to talk to the archer and the dwarf. They seemed to be two people who had some authority. _Maybe they can help me find the Warden-Commander._

He walked over to them. Eventually he got close enough that he could hear what they were talking about.

"… find Anders," the dwarf said, sounding somewhat annoyed. "It's been six years and we still can't find that scrawny mage." _What? They're looking for Anders?_

"He's working with that Hawke woman, somewhere in Kirkwall," the archer replied. "They saved my life in the Deep Roads."

"I know. You've said that five times now." The dwarf took another swig of his drink. "He's not Zevran. He doesn't have a guild of assassins trying to hunt him down."

"No. He's got templars." _They're definitely talking about Anders._ "Neria gave him another chance by recruiting him into the Wardens and what does he do? After we kill the Mother he runs off." _Anders is a Grey Warden?_

"Didn't that elf run off too? She disappeared at Vigil's Keep."

The archer sighed. "We still have no idea what happened to her. One of the walls collapsed on her and when we cleared the rubble, she was gone."

"Well, she did have that trick where she could move around underground. Maybe that's how she got away."

Again, the archer sighed. "I don't know. We know that Justice is definitely dead. He was decapitated before the darkspawn finally retreated."

"'Dead?' Wasn't he a… whatchacallit… spirit?"

"I had forgotten about that. I guess that means we have three missing Wardens."

"You're forgetting Sigrun. She disappeared last night."

"She did? I hadn't heard that."

"Yeah. Hey, that elf over there is watching us." The dwarf gestured toward Alim. _Uh oh…_

Alim quickly looked away, trying to make himself look inconspicuous. He noticed the archer turn around and look at him.

"Maybe he needs something. Let's go." They started walking toward Alim and he started getting nervous. He wanted to run, but that would only make them suspicious. Never mind that he would probably only get five steps before he was hit with an arrow, and he didn't want to know what that felt like. He stayed where he was as the archer and dwarf approached. The dwarf had a long red beard with short red hair to match. His face had a grizzled look to it. The archer had short brown hair and his face had a hardened look, almost as though he had been through a lot.

The archer stopped just out of arm's reach, the dwarf taking another swig of his drink, before asking, "Do you need something?"

"I, uh…," Alim started. He wasn't sure what to say.

"Come on, spit it out," the dwarf said, sounding annoyed.

"Uh… Are you two Grey Wardens?"

"Yes," the archer replied. "I'm Nathaniel and this is Oghren." He gestured to the dwarf.

"I, uh, was told to find Warden-Commander Neria at Vigil's Keep."

Nathaniel raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"I was told that she could help me."

Nathaniel and Oghren looked at each other, then looked back to Alim, seeming to size him up. "Help you with what?"

"Um…" He leaned closer to Nathaniel and whispered, "I escaped from the Circle in Kirkwall."

Nathaniel took a step back. "Why?"

"The Templars were, uh… They were going to make me Tranquil."

"Tranquil? Why?"

"I don't know. Meredith has been making mages Tranquil left and right. I was lucky that I knew it was coming."

"Meredith? You mean Knight-Commander Meredith?"

"Yes. She's gone mad. Even her own templars are starting to realize it. I got out while I still had a chance."

"How did you escape? You must have had help."

"Uh… Anders helped me."

"Anders? Are you sure?"

Alim nodded. He wasn't sure how angry they'd be if he lied to them. "He's the one who told me to come here."

The two Grey Wardens looked at each other again. They were silent for a long time before Nathaniel finally said, "We'll take you to Vigil's Keep. Neria would probably want to know about the situation in Kirkwall anyway. It seems like something big is going to happen there."

Alim nodded and followed Nathaniel and Oghren as they headed through Amaranthine, keeping a wary eye on any Templars he saw on the way.

* * *

Another day of traveling and they finally reached Vigil's Keep. There was an enormous wall surrounding Keep itself that seemed to be too well-crafted to have been built by humans. Alim noticed several rather large chips in the wall, indicating that the Keep had been attacked at one point.

They walked through the main gate and Alim looked around. There were men and women in armor everywhere. He could tell that some were Grey Wardens, though most seemed to be regular soldiers. He saw a blacksmith making armor and weapons out of a silver colored metal at a feverish pace, seeming somewhat bored. He even saw a few more dwarves, though they seemed to be merchants, mostly.

They continued and Alim thought that he had seen a couple of mages talking to each other. Most of the Grey Wardens seemed to be human, though there was the occasional elf.

Eventually, they reached the entrance to the Keep. A soldier stood there, nodding to Nathaniel and Oghren before stopping them, looking at Alim questioningly.

"Who is this?" she said.

"He wants to see the Warden-Commander," Nathaniel responded, sounding very official.

Another nod from the soldier and they entered the Keep.

Alim looked around. He had never seen anything so grand. The walls were lined with portraits of various men and women, probably those who used to lead the Wardens here in Fereldan. He recognized some of them: Sophia Dryden, who lead the Wardens that were exiled from Fereldan, Duncan, who died at Ostagar, and…

He froze when he saw the last one. The portrait was of Neria. She was wearing some type of armor with a crossbow strapped to her back. She had her hands raised to just below shoulder-height, fire burning in one hand, lightning crackling from the other. She had slightly pale skin, long brown hair that draped over one shoulder, and forest green eyes. _She… looks like me. This… This can't be right._

He looked underneath the portrait and read the name: Neria Surana. _Surana? Is she… my sister?_ Then he noticed the amulet around her neck. It was a mirror image of his own.

Nathaniel must have noticed that he was staring at the portrait because he said, "I guess you like it?"

Alim looked back to Nathaniel. "Huh?"

"The portrait. You've been looking at it for a while."

"Uh, yeah…" He looked back at the portrait. "She kinda looks like me…"

"What do you mean?"

He gestured toward the portrait and Nathaniel moved closer to look. Alim noticed his eyes widen in surprise and confusion. Nathaniel quickly looked back to Alim, then toward Oghren when they heard a woman's voice say, "What's going on?"

They all turned toward the direction the voice came from, Alim's eyes widening in surprise. _She really __**does**__ look like me._


	3. Brother meets Sister

Neria looked at Nathaniel and Oghren, giving them questioning looks. She wasn't a strict commander, though she expected a response of some sort. Then she saw the elf that was with them, who was standing in front of her portrait. The elf had short brown hair and forest green eyes, which seemed like a near mirror image of her own. _He seems oddly familiar…_ "Who's this?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

She noticed Nathaniel fidget slightly and Oghren lean against the wall. _What's wrong with them?_ Then she noticed the amulet hanging from the elf's neck. It mirrored her own, causing her to be somewhat suspicious. She took a couple steps toward the elf, reaching forward to scoop her hand around the amulet, only for the elf to step back and clasp his hand around it. "Where did you get that amulet?" She let her hand drop to her side.

The elf paused, glancing down to where his hand held the amulet. "I've had this for my whole life," he replied, looking back at Neria.

She took another step toward him. "Who are you?"

The elf fidgeted uncomfortably, seeming unsure about what to say. "Uh… I'm Alim. Alim Surana."

She froze. _Surana? Can't be._ "Prove it." She winced. It came out harsher than she meant it to.

The elf's eyes darted around for a second before he opened his hand and stepped forward, reaching for Neria's amulet as he lifted his own. She resisted the urge to pull away as he gently lifted her amulet and placed it next to his own, the edges meeting.

Her eyes widened as she examined the design the two amulets made. It was an ever swirling pattern, rounding the outer edge before reversing direction, circling around until it reached the first turn, reversing direction again. It repeated again and again until it reached the very center, ending with the head of a dragon pointing upward.

She looked up and Alim looked just as surprised, almost as if he wasn't expecting the amulets to fit together so perfectly. She took a step back and Alim let go of her amulet, giving him a look of disbelief. "How did you know they'd fit together like that?"

Alim shrugged. "I don't know," he replied. "It just felt… right. You know?"

Her mind flashed back to when Brother Genetivi reshaped the cultist medallion into a key that let them into the ancient temple that had been built to protect the Urn of Sacred Ashes. It was a small event, but it stuck in her mind for the past seven years. "Where are you from?"

He fidgeted his fingers, glancing at everything except Neria. "Kirkwall," he finally said. "I… uh… I used to be in the Circle there."

She raised an eyebrow. _I had a brother who was a mage and no one ever told me? Did anyone even know?_ Then she thought about what he said. "What do you mean, 'you used to be?'"

Again, he fidgeted his fingers. She knew he was nervous, she did the same thing when she was nervous. _I guess he really is my brother._

"I escaped."

"Why?"

"The Templars were going to make me Tranquil."

"Why were they going to make you Tranquil?" Her mind flashed back to Jowan and Lily when they told her they planned to flee the Circle.

"I don't know. Meredith has been making mages Tranquil left and right. Most of my friends were made Tranquil. And they all passed their Harrowing!"

_ Knight-Commander Meredith? The situation in Kirkwall is worse than I thought…_ "She shouldn't be able to do that. Once a mage passes their Harrowing, they can't be made Tranquil."

"I know. The Grand Cleric would stop her, but I don't think she even knows what's going on."

Neria shook her head. _That's not good. Could I do something to stop it?_ "How did you escape? The Circle is in the Gallows, right?"

Alim took a step back, like he hadn't expected her to know about the Gallows. He nodded. "Uh… Anders helped me."

She froze. _Anders? He's in Kirkwall?_ "Are you sure it was him?"

"That's what he said." Alim shrugged.

Again, Neria shook her head. _Nothing I can do about it. He said that he wasn't coming back._

"He said that you could help me," he added. "He gave me a change of clothes and some sovereigns to pay for a ship to bring me here."

"Hmm… sure," she said. "I'll help." She turned to Nathaniel. "Take him to one of the empty rooms upstairs."

He nodded and motioned for Alim to follow him, both of them disappearing around the corner.

"That's something, eh?" Oghren said, still leaning against the wall.

"What?" She turned to look at him.

"Anders disappears and six years later he saves Nathaniel, then a brother you never knew you had."

She nodded. "Yeah… Go figure."

"I'm gonna grab a drink with some of the recruits. You coming?"

She shook her head. "I need to send a letter to Alistair. Tell him what happened. I feel like something bad is going to happen soon."

"When doesn't something bad happen?"

She chuckled loudly. "You're a good friend, Oghren."

Oghren grunted, the sides of his mustache rising slightly, indicating that he was smiling. He nodded and stood up straight before he turned around and walked away.

* * *

Alim sat on the bed of his new room. He could tell it was morning, so that meant he had slept through the night. The bed was very comfortable, much more-so than the cots in the Gallows. The room itself was large, much larger than he was used to. There were a few large windows that looked out over the rest of the Keep, where Alim watched the soldiers and Grey Wardens train.

He was still groggy, but he forced himself to stand up, walking over to the door. He had slept in his clothes so he didn't need to change. He opened the door and looked around, not seeing much other than a couple of guards. He turned to the left and walked down the hall, dozens of doors on either side, all of which were closed… except for one at the far end of the hall. He kept walking and heard a loud sigh come from the room. He stopped just before the door and peeked inside.

He saw Neria sitting at a desk with her back to him, looking at something in her hands. He noticed her lower her head, sighing again. Slowly, he entered the room, knocking on the door lightly. She quickly jerked her head toward him and, opening a drawer, dropped whatever she was holding inside, slamming the drawer shut.

"What was that?" he asked.

"What was what?" she replied, seeming somewhat embarrassed.

"Whatever you dropped in that drawer." He gestured towards the drawer she had just slammed.

"Oh. Uh… nothing." _Is she hiding something?_

"It didn't seem like nothing." He crossed his arms, trying to imitate what he had seen his instructors do when they were trying to get the truth out of an apprentice.

"You're seriously not going to try doing **that**, are you?"

He raised an eyebrow. Obviously she was trying to change the subject, but he had to know what she meant. "What?"

"That." She gestured to his stance. "I know that look. The senior enchanters always did that when they thought an apprentice was lying."

He let his arms drop to his sides. "Whatever." He rolled his eyes. "Anyway, what did you slam in that drawer?"

He noticed her eyes dart around the room, much like he did when he was trying to think up a lie. "Just some, um… Grey Warden stuff."

He raised an eyebrow. "I know you're lying. Just tell me what you're hiding."

She sighed. "Fine. But you can't tell **anyone** about it." He nodded.

She turned around and, hesitantly, opened the drawer, pulling something out of it. She looked at it and sighed again before turning around.

It was a rose. It was old, shriveled up and wilted, but a rose nonetheless. "A rose?" She nodded and smiled weakly, focused on the flower. "From who?"

She was quiet for a while before she said, "From Alistair."

_ Alistair? Wait, __**King**__ Alistair?!_ His eyes widened in realization. "The king?!"

She quickly brought a finger to her lips. "Shh! Not so loud!"

"King Alistair gave you a rose?"

"It was before he became king."

"Before?"

She nodded before she walked around him and shut the door, locking it. "During the Blight. He said he found it in Lothering." She sighed again, a look of longing and loneliness in her eyes. "He told me that when he saw it, he thought, 'How could anything so beautiful exist in a world with so much darkness in it?' Then he said he thought the same thing about me." She lowered her head.

"But… Why are you here? Why aren't you queen?"

He saw her wince. "The Landsmeet barely accepted him as king. Do you think they would have allowed an elf to be queen?"

"So, it was because the Landsmeet wouldn't allow it? That's not fair."

"Nothing is fair."

He raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

She sighed again. "Since Alistair is- or, was- a Grey Warden, he only has another twenty or so years left. That means he needs an heir sooner than usual. And since we are both Grey Wardens, it would be almost impossible for us to… have a child together." A tear ran down her cheek.

Alim felt guilty. Neria was obviously upset enough already without him bringing it up. _Damn._ "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…"

She was quiet for a minute before she said, "It's alright. I just… I haven't really talked to anyone about it before."

"Do you miss him?"

She nodded. Another tear ran down her cheek. She wiped it away before a loud knock sounded on the door. She turned around and unlocked to door, hiding the rose behind her back as she opened it. "Yes?"

"Neria," it sounded like Nathaniel. "There's an elf that wants to see you immediately."

Alim suddenly had a feeling of dread. _Something's wrong._


	4. The Letter

They walked toward the throne room, Alim following behind Neria and Nathaniel. He wondered why he had such a sudden feeling of dread after Nathaniel announced that an elf wanted to see Neria. Or, at least, he tried to. He couldn't help but think about what Neria had told him about her and Alistair. When he asked her if she missed him she nodded. He wanted to know what exactly had happened between them. Something had happened, obviously. Something that deeply hurt her. For some reason, he felt some anger toward Alistair. He never met the man, obviously- kings never visited the Gallows-, but he knew that he was supposed to be a good man and a kind king. _What did he do?_

Then he realized that something felt… off, about Neria herself. He could tell that she was a mage, but she had a certain… aura? He couldn't describe it. Something was different about her, beyond her being Warden-Commander. Something that felt… ancient. Like a ruin that had been recently unearthed. But there was something distinctly familiar and new about it. He couldn't place it, but it felt like something he should remember. Like some untapped ability that he shared with others like him, but hadn't been able to bring out because no one knew what it was or how to tap into it. _I should ask her about it later._

They rounded a corner and walked into the throne room, which Alim had been given a tour of yesterday. There were banners hanging from the ceiling, bearing the Grey Warden's symbol, and various portraits on the walls, though he didn't recognize any of them. There was a bookcase between a large ale cask and a large egg on one side of the room. On the other, there was a door, two more bookcases, and a steel golem which was missing its head. Next to the main door which led out to the main grounds of the Keep, was a large chest, though it appeared to be securely locked. In the center of the room was a large fire pit, which was simply filled with wood now since it was the warm months.

Just in front of the door stood a man in silver armor, a greatsword on his back. He had short blonde hair and a slight tan. The elf was next to him, short black hair and very pronounced cheek bones.

"Warden-Commander Neria?" the elf asked, seeming exhausted.

"Yes?" Neria responded, sounding very official. The tone made her seem like an entirely different person.

"I bring an urgent message from Kirkwall." _Oh no. Did the Templars find me? Did they follow me to Amaranthine?_

"Let me see it." The elf handed her the letter and she read it intently, her brow furrowing. "Thank you for bringing this," she said, still looking at the letter. "That will be all." The elf nodded his head and walked out the door, the soldier walking with him.

"What does it say?" Nathaniel asked, seeming more concerned than curious.

She looked up at him. "The situation in Kirkwall has exploded. The Templars are now at war with all mages in Thedas." There was a dead silence. _A war? Between Templars and mages? No… no this can't be real. It can't. What could have…_ Then he remembered what Anders had said to him before leaving him on the ship. _Anders said he had 'unfinished business.' Is… this what he meant?_

"Anything else?" Nathaniel asked, seeming to try and overcome the shock of what they had just learned.

"The letter says that Templars throughout Thedas are to perform the Rite of Annulment immediately. No mage is safe. Not even those in the Grey Wardens."

"What about the Dalish?" Alim found himself asking.

She looked at him. "Nothing has changed. The Templars have always been trying to capture Dalish mages, though they haven't really been trying hard. But now, every mage is considered an apostate. The Templars will be widespread in trying to find them all. The main problem is, everyone in Fereldan knows I'm a mage. And they know where I am."

"But, you're the Warden-Commander. You command the Wardens here, so the Templars wouldn't try to come after you… would they?"

She shrugged. "Maybe not, but they could try to send assassins." She seemed so sure of herself… a complete change from when Alim had talked to her earlier. "First things first, we need to warn First Enchanter Irving at the Circle tower. Tell him what happened."

He opened his mouth to argue, but she was right. They needed to warn the Circle here before the Templars learned what happened. If they didn't… the mages there would die without knowing why or having a chance to fight back.

"Send a letter to warn the First Warden," she continued, focusing her attention toward Nathaniel. "Tell him that I strongly advise warning the rest of the Wardens about this. This affects every mage in Thedas. I will gather the rest of the Wardens outside. They need to know." Nathaniel nodded his head and walked away, seeming completely unnerved by the news.

Alim, however, was dumbfounded. Neria had taken the sudden news in stride, not skipping a beat. Even the thought of the Templars attempting to go after her didn't phase her. Her first thought was to warn the mages in the Circle tower- wherever that was- before the Templars there learned what happened. _She really is a hero…_

She looked back at him, getting his attention. "You alright?" she asked. "You look a little pale."

"Uh… yeah. I… none of this… what do you think happened to cause this?"

"I don't know. It must have been something serious." She shrugged. "It doesn't matter. I need to warn the rest of the Wardens here. You want to come with me?" She was back to being just a regular person again. The fact that she could switch between her two very different selves so easily fascinated him. It also made him a little jealous. _If I had been sent to Fereldan and she went to Kirkwall, would I have become a Grey Warden instead?_ He doubted it, but that didn't stop him from wondering. He nodded and Neria turned around and headed out the door, Alim following her a few steps behind.

* * *

After Neria had gathered the Wardens outside the Keep, she informed them of what happened and told them that any mage who wanted to leave could, but no one budged, proving their unwavering loyalty to Neria. Alim was fascinated at the loyalty the Wardens here had to her, their commander. Even when the rest of the world started to fall apart, they stood strong, willing to follow their commander through it all. He was almost convinced that if Neria decided to storm the Black City, they'd follow without question. It was… amazing. It was things like this that showed how much of a hero and leader she was. And it all seemed natural to her, like she had been born into it. Alim was actually proud that he might be related to her in some way, no matter how small. And it wasn't just the loyalty she inspired. It was the way she held herself. She seemed to have complete confidence in herself, and it seemed to spill over to onto those she led. She held herself high, like nothing could touch her, like nothing could bring her down… at least, when she was supposed to lead.

Alim had seen her other side. The side that was hurting from something that happened years ago. She kept it hidden from everyone else, obviously. They couldn't see her break down. She couldn't let them think she wasn't confident in herself. It would affect them. Some might see it as a weakness and try to exploit it.

Alim knew she needed to stay strong in front of the men and women she led, but that meant bottling up her emotions. He had heard that it wasn't good for your mental health to bottle up your emotions, that you needed an outlet of some sort, some way to vent. Neria seemed to only let her guard down when she was alone, or thought she was. And the fact that she was still upset over a specific event from years ago, meant that she hadn't gotten over it. If she didn't get over it soon, maybe she never would. Whatever it was, it seemed to involve Alistair, and it seemed to be more than him becoming king. Maybe the only way for her to get over it was by talking to Alistair.

Alim contemplated finding a way to get Neria to talk to Alistair. The problem was, he knew nothing about Fereldan other than how much destruction the Blight had caused.

"Alim?" Neria asked, shaking him from his thoughts. "You still there?"

"Uh, yeah," he replied, noticing that the rest of the Wardens had dispersed. "I was just… thinking."

"About what?"

He paused before saying the first thing that popped into his mind. "Everything that's going on. The Templars and mages going to war, you mobilizing the Wardens and planning to warn the mages in the Circle here, and, well… pretty much everything I guess."

"It is a lot to take in, isn't it? Don't worry, I've got friends who can help."

"What kind of friends?"

"Old friends. I can pull some strings and help you lay low for a while."

"I'm not helpless. I can hold my own."

"Ha! I said the same thing before I fought my first darkspawn."

Alim raised an eyebrow, looking for clarification.

"No, I'm not saying that I couldn't kill it," she started. "It just scared me half to death at first. After about a half-dozen more, it wasn't so bad."

"Well, I'm not going to have to fight darkspawn, am I?"

She laughed. "No, of course not."

"Good."

She laughed again. "Well, I guess we should get going to the Circle. I should warn Irving personally."

"'We?'"

"I can't just leave you alone, can I? Besides, we're both mages so it is best that we stick together."

"I'm going to need a new staff."

"Sure, I'll grab one for you and we'll head for the Circle. We should get there in a few days. Wait here."

He watched as she walked away. _Back to a regular person again… How is she able to do that?_


End file.
